Chapter 172
Chapter 172
ISABELLA
I stood in the middle of the clearing, my heart thudding in my chest. The sun had barely risen, casting a soft glow over the trees surrounding us, but I couldn’t focus on the beauty of the moment. My mind was racing. I was still coming to terms with the revelation that I had werewolf genes—something I never imagined possible—and now my mates, Jax, Knox, and Asher, were asking me to do something that seemed even more impossible: shift into a she-wolf.
They had planned the entire morning as a surprise. When I came downstairs, they were already dressed and waiting for me, their eyes alight with excitement. I couldn’t help but feel a mix of nerves and curiosity as they led me outside, explaining that today would be the day I might unlock a new side of myself.
“Isabella,” Jax said, his voice calm but full of encouragement as we stood in the clearing. “This is all about trust—trusting yourself and trusting your instincts. Shifting isn’t something you force; it’s something you allow to happen.”
I nodded, trying to take in his words, but my stomach twisted with anxiety. “And what if I can’t do it?”
“You will,” Knox chimed in, his tone more relaxed, trying to put me at ease. “It’s like waking up a part of yourself that’s always been there. You’ve felt it already, haven’t you? The stirrings of something more inside you?”
I had to admit, since learning about my werewolf genes, I had noticed subtle changes. I was more aware of my surroundings, more sensitive to smells and sounds, as if my senses had sharpened. But the idea of shifting into an actual wolf seemed... surreal.
“What do I have to do?” I asked, my voice barely a whisper. I glanced over at Asher, who had been quiet so far, watching me with those intense eyes of his.
“You need to focus on the feeling,” Asher said finally, stepping closer. “Close your eyes and think about your wolf. Don’t think about the how or why—just feel her. Let her rise to the surface.”
I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, trying to push away the doubt creeping in. I imagined a wolf inside me, waiting to break free. I felt something stirring, deep and primal, but it was faint, almost elusive.
“Don’t fight it,” Jax’s voice was soft in my ear now. “You can’t control the shift with your mind. Let go.”
I focused harder, trying to feel this wolf that was supposed to be part of me. But nothing happened. My muscles tightened, frustration creeping in as the seconds ticked by. I opened my eyes, my breath shaky. “I don’t feel anything.”
“Hey, that’s okay,” Knox said, stepping closer and resting a hand on my shoulder. “It’s your first time. You’re not going to get it on the first try.”
Asher nodded in agreement. “It takes time to let go of the part of you that’s human enough to make room for the wolf. Don’t rush it.”
Their reassurances helped, but I couldn’t shake the growing frustration inside me. I had always been good at controlling things, my emotions, my life, and now I was being asked to let go in a way that felt foreign and unsettling. But this was important—this was part of who I was now, and I couldn’t walk away from it.
“Try again,” Jax encouraged gently. “This time, don’t think about the end goal. Just think about the power inside you. Your wolf is already there. She just needs you to trust her.”
I closed my eyes again, this time trying to relax into the feeling. I took a few deep breaths and focused on the pull in my chest, the way my senses seemed to shift and change when I let my mind quiet down. I imagined running through the woods, feeling the earth beneath paws instead of feet. I thought about my mates, their wolves, how natural it seemed for them to shift and run free. Maybe it could be the same for me if I just let go of control.
And then, slowly, I felt it. A warmth spreading through my limbs, my skin tingling. My heartbeat quickened, but not from fear—this was something else. Something primal. I could feel her—my wolf—starting to surface. It was a strange sensation, like a pressure building from deep within, something that wanted to break free.
But just as the feeling intensified, I flinched. The warmth faded, slipping away like water through my fingers. I opened my eyes, frustrated. “I felt it, but it’s like... I don’t know, it’s not enough.”
Knox smiled. “That’s a start. You’re getting closer.”
“Let’s try one more time,” Asher said, his voice calm but firm. “This time, when you feel her, don’t pull back. Embrace it, no matter how strange it feels. Trust her.”
I nodded, determination replacing the doubt. I closed my eyes again, taking another deep breath. This time, I let the warmth take over, not pulling back when the pressure built inside me. I let the feeling wash over me, not fighting it, not questioning it.
Suddenly, the warmth surged, and I felt something shift deep within me. My body tingled, bones and muscles seeming to stretch and twist in ways I’d never felt before. It wasn’t painful, just... different. My skin prickled, and a strange sense of power coursed through me, stronger than anything I’d ever experienced. And then, in a blur of sensation, I wasn’t standing on two legs anymore.
I opened my eyes and looked down, stunned. My body had transformed. Paws. Fur. I was... I was a wolf.
I turned my head, feeling the strangeness of my new form but also the rightness of it. It felt... natural. I couldn’t believe it, but there I was, standing on four legs, seeing the world from a different perspective.
I looked up at Jax, Knox, and Asher, who were all watching me with wide smiles, their pride evident.
“You did it,” Jax said, his voice full of awe.
I took a tentative step forward, getting used to the new sensations. The ground beneath my paws felt solid and real, the air filled with scents I’d never noticed before. My wolf felt strong, powerful, and free.
For the first time since all this began, I felt like I was truly beginning to understand this new part of myself. And it didn’t scare me anymore. I wasn’t just Isabella, the human—now I was also something more. Something wilder, stronger.
And it felt amazing.